A Fortune's Fool
by LadyLunarPhoenix
Summary: A Detective locates people and solves mysteries. But what happens when the Detective is the one in trouble? A romance plot has gone wrong and now the team has to find their Detective before it's too late. cross posted in the Persona section
1. Chapter 1

Fortune's Fool

Written By: Lady Lunar Phoenix

Beta By:

A/N: This is based off Persona 4 after the game, does contain spoilers.

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A picture is worth a thousand words.

That's how the quote goes. Based off the idea that it would take a thousand or more words to describe a single moment in time. Yet a picture could capture the moment in stark clarity without words. An example was the picture of the gang all together before he left, that day when the sun had been shining. The group had gotten together for once last gathering before he was to return home. It had a bitter sweet taste as he had settled into a routine and a life style that made him happy, only to be taken away again. The picture was framed and rested on his desk though normally it rested beside his bed.

"Souji? Aren't you coming to breakfast?" his mother stuck her head into the room looking around for her only son. Souji was sitting at the desk with his back to the door. He had a lot of his father in him, from the build to the unique natural gray hair color. She never did figure out how someone could be born with gray hair. But at the moment the only thing she could think of was how suddenly one letter could shut him down so totally.

"Just save me something." he replied absently still staring at something on his desk.

"Souji? Is everything ok? You've been acting odd since you got that letter." She walked in, her concern in her voice. She was half dressed for work, as she walked across the room before planting both her hands on her son's strong shoulders. The moment she touched him though, he flipped something over on his desk and his shoulders communicated his distress by tensing up. She brushed her black hair back over her shoulder as she looked on in worry. "Did something bad happen at the party?"

"Everything is fine mom, don't worry. I just need to think on something is all."

"Ok, if you say so, you're old enough to know best on your own. But if you need something don't hesitate to ask me or your father for help ok?" She replied in a last ditch effort to find out what was wrong with her son.

"I know mom, thanks."

She frowned, realizing she would be unable to break the shell he had locked himself in. Squeezing his shoulders briefly in motherly affection, she turned to finish getting ready. She'd just have to trust her son's common sense about whatever it was. But she could only hope that it would pass, she hated seeing her son so silent.

The door shut behind her with a click, allowing Souji to turn the picture he had been looking at back over. He had to think, try to figure out what had happened in such a short span of time. But he couldn't remember all that clearly, not after they slipped the slight bit of liquor in his drinks the night before last. Shadows and shafts of multicolored lights that pierced through the darkness. The scent of smoke mixing with Naoto's own scent as she napped in his arms. Holding her close as she slept, probably slightly drunk as well, with his coat resting on her.

He had a feeling that the guys were involved in that drunken state. But it was much more comfortable to snuggle with his girl in the corner hidden in the shadows. Of course all that meant was that he held close and she didn't blush this time. Or maybe she did and he couldn't see it through the darkness. Though she did vibrate slightly like she had giggled, before snuggling against his chest.

But he didn't recall anything that would hint how that picture could have happened. She was there! In his arms virtually all night! If something had happened why hadn't the gang called him? Maybe they didn't know? The trio had finally graduated high school, maybe they couldn't stay in as close contact anymore because of it? Souji sighed as he looked around, his eyes falling on the Gratitude Ema the fox gave him. What would Naoto do in a situation like this? She was the Ace Detective after all...

An Ace Detective that was well aware of the danger she lived her life in. She was well aware that there were people who would want revenge on her. Even with that knowledge she still faced her field of work with a relish. She was brave to face a life of personal danger without flinching. So had it caught up with her? He had to go down stairs, maybe someone down there had seen something when the letter had arrived?

Regardless, he wasn't helping Naoto by sitting in his room. Even if he couldn't go to the cops, he could look around, ask questions. He wasn't a detective or a cop, but he wasn't going to sit around and just let something bad happen to her! The only message that came with the picture had stated that she wouldn't survive if he went to the cops. He didn't have the same resources as she did to find out if there was more to the picture or envelope, or even if there were clues to where it came from.

So with a, shaky, plan of action he finally left his room and snagged himself a slice of toast off plate on the counter. Munching on it, he strode out the door like a man with a mission. Down the hallway, towards the elevator and from there he went to the lobby of the apartment complex. It was a beautiful day, outside the sun was shining, reflecting off the windows of buildings and passing cars. Off to the right was front desk to the left was where the mailboxes rested, built into the wall itself. Yet until he knew Naoto was ok, he couldn't really focus on that.

"Oh, good morning Seta-san." One of the receptionists called out as he approached, waving to him with a bright smile on her face. It wasn't busy, most people were leaving for work at the moment anyways. Typical ebony black hair was tied up in a neat bun behind her head. She had a heart shaped face with soft brown eyes, her uniform was crisp and clean.

"Good morning, say may I ask you something?" He inquired sounding calm and casual, as though he wasn't inquiring about his girlfriend's disappearance. He walked over and leaned against the counter just to help in looking less stressed.

"Of course! What can I do for you?" She asked eager to help, must have had her morning can of coffee.

"I got a letter in the mail, but it doesn't have any postage or any signs of where it came from. I don't suppose there's a way I can find out about who may have put it in there?" he asked innocently, but his ploy worked, probably better then he had expected.

"oooOOoooohhh... were they your girlfriends? Or secret admires, you charmer you?" She asked giving a coy little giggle. But her words stopped him short. "Yeah the receptionists were talking about it yesterday morning. Miho saw a small group of girls the night before last, and were hovering about the mail boxes. They were passing around a red envelope, talking about how this was going to be 'romantic'. They seemed to be trying to get the short dark haired girl to go along with it."

"Oh..." he felt boneless suddenly, so the girls probably dropped it off before they reached the club. But the fact that they were 'all girls' meant that Naoto had changed out of her usual standard uniform before they arrived here. "Romantic huh? Ok, thanks, you just took a load off my mind." he replied thanking the receptionist with a smile before he turned to go back to his apartment.

_So that explained everything. Though why the hell are they trying to help our relationship along?_ Suddenly the liquor in the drinks made sense, it was intended to get them more relaxed. He leaned against the wall in the elevator a small smile on his lips. _So what are you planning guys? How would you make a fake kidnapping romantic? This is Naoto we're talking about after all, she's not an actress._

He stepped out of the elevator reaching for his apartment keys as his cellphone began ringing. He grabbed the cellphone then put it to his ear while walking towards his apartment. "Hello, Seta, Souji speaking."

"Souji." His uncles voice came over gruff and business like, a detective on the case. Though Souji had to wonder if his uncle was in on the joke to. His long legs carried him quickly to his apartment as his Uncle resumed speaking. "Souji, I'm calling on behalf of your friends."

"Because they're pulling a prank on me by pretending Naoto was kidnapped." Souji finished as he shut the door, and began tugging off his shoes again. He was hungry.

There had been a pause before his Uncle began speaking. "... Yes and no. Yes, they were trying to pull a prank on you, more like they were apparently trying to help move your relationship with Naoto along. However; it's no longer an issue of 'pretend'. Naoto has been kidnapped. I'm sorry Souji. Right now we don't even have any leads as to where she is."

There was something in his uncles' voice that told him this was no joke. There was something that told him to stand there and listen to his uncle. But damn it! He had gone for over a day worrying himself sick over Naoto! "This isn't funny Uncle! Do you have any idea what I've been going through for the past day?" He snapped into the phone as he sat down on the chair in the kitchen. His voice fueled by his suppressed feelings, his anxiety and worry.

His Uncle was quiet for a moment, before he sighed and gave the reply that tore Souji's world apart again. "Someone broke into Naoto's home yesterday, she was in the middle of talking to an officer she worked along side once when she was younger. In the middle of the conversation someone struck her. From the sounds of it, she was still recovering from that after graduation party you guys held. Because of that her reflexes were slower and she was beaten into submission. The officer said she tried to fight back from what he heard, but... well you know Naoto, she's got a strong will, but she can still get overpowered. We rushed to her place, but it was too late, all that was left was her cap on the floor and some of what we think is her blood."

The phone clattered to the ground while Souji quietly covered his face with his hands. He wasn't sure what he wanted, if it was to scream, or cry, or just beat the holy living hell out of something. He knew how his Uncle spoke, he could understand that his Uncle was telling the truth about Naoto. Leaving Souji isolated, far away in Tatsumi Port Island while all this was going on in Inaba. He couldn't even look at the watch Naoto had given him, he couldn't look at the message that he was out of range of Naoto when she needed him most.

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"He dropped the phone from the sounds of it." Dojima reported as he looked up at the group in his office. Everyone was downcast, their expressions focused on the same guilt, the same ideas that ran through their heads. He looked down at the pictures on his desk, having been fanned out so he could study all of them. They were all useless in the end, telling a false story of Naoto being stolen away. He stared at the first picture, a copy of the one that was apparently sent to his nephew. "So until he feels up to picking up the phone again, explain to me how a fake kidnapping was supposed to help their relationship."

"It... well... You know... Naoto likes to read detective novels, so we thought maybe pretend like someone was trying to forcefully be her new suitor since Souji was away..." Chie explained, it had been the only time she had lifted her head since they had received the news.

"It was supposed to be as though the pictures were a challenge for Souji to come back and prove himself as hers... It was supposed to end with them having the night to themselves at the Inn, including letting them have the hot springs together as well." Yukiko elaborated her voice leaden by her sadness.

"Look, we didn't know! We swear we only had the best of intentions." Yosuke added, though Dojima waved away his words.

"I know, but this was just poorly timed. I'm heading the case regarding her, her grandfather is coming here, so I'm going to take time talking to him. So here, when he finally picks up the phone you guys should talk to Souji." Dojima switched the phone over speaker before getting up and leaving the group without a leader to take over, so that they could explain to Souji what had happened.

Yosuke finally spoke up as he listened for Souji. "Hey? Souji? Can you hear me?"

"It... It was a nice idea." The voice was calm, barely a tremor of any other emotion other then the same patient tone of their leader.

Yosuke stood there with his mouth falling open in shock. Around him, Chie, Yukiko, Kanji and Teddie all stood there with various expressions of growing disbelief. "What the fuck is wrong with you? Why aren't you angry at us? Why don't you hate us? We sent that picture and got the two of you drunk! Now Naoto's gone! How can you say 'It was a nice idea'?!"

"What do you want me to say Yosuke? You didn't know this was going to happen, and I know you guys meant well. I just don't see the point in wasting my energy getting angry at people who had good intentions. Not when I have someone else that I can take my anger out on when he's found. Besides, it sounds more like you guys are beating yourselves up enough without me throwing alcohol on the wounds."

"I heard some of the other cops on the case talking, Souji. Even though I haven't spoken to him, the officer that Naoto was talking to is in Port Island. He works behind the desk during the day, but at night he goes onto his beat. Maybe you could talk to him about what happened?" Chie offered after clearing her throat. "We're going to do everything we can to help Dojima-san find Naoto. So please, don't worry."

"Do you know where he would be?" Souji asked quietly.

"The station is in the mall. You remember? Where Club Escapade is? Paulownia Mall." She replied quickly, before suddenly adding. "Do you want us to come over there? We've all graduated, and we have spare time to go there."

"We can ask Rise if she knows of any place we can stay." Yukiko added speaking up from her seat.

"No way we're letting you go through this alone Senpai." Kanji spoke up as well.

"Right! Sensei, you've been the best to all of us! We won't let you down!" Teddie added coming close to the phone, as though being closer showed more determination.

"Thanks guys, you're the best." Souji replied, there was faint sounds in the back ground as though he was leaving a room. "Say, do you recall seeing anyone strange the night you dropped the picture off at my apartment?"

"No... No one strange." Chie admitted, she had already thought about that night over a thousand times racking her brains out on it. It tore at her over and over again, why go after the smaller girl? "I don't get it Souji, why would someone go after Naoto?"

"Because she's a detective. She's been solving cases for a very long time, and sometimes criminals can't handle that. She said so herself that she had made enemies by the cases she solved." Souji explained, his voice sounding softer.

"So? What does that have to do with kidnapping her?" Yosuke asked in annoyance his arms folded across his chest.

"A man's pride." Kanji replied simply his eyes on the floor.

"Oh not that again, what does a man's pride have to do with kidnapping Naoto?" Yosuke asked in annoyance.

"A man who gets busted and goes to jail because of a little boy solving their crimes." Kanji answered simply his expression somber, his shoulders sagging while Yukiko and Chie looking increasingly alarmed.

"So?" Yosuke asked realizing he was missing something, some part of him praying they didn't elaborate. The room felt too stifling, as though there was some unspoken current of energy about to snap in the room and if the wrong thing was said it was going to go crashing over their heads.

"So what must be going through their heads when they find out the boy is a girl?" Chie asked her voice choking on itself.

Everyone jumped as the sound of a fist hitting the wall snapped out through out the room before the phone line went dead.

Yukiko stood up on shaky legs before gathering up the pictures they had taken. They weren't important to the case, no one needed them, all they did was take up space on a desk. But she remembered almost fondly when they jumped Naoto so they could have the picture taken. Ganging up on the smaller girl and wrestling her into those ropes. A defiant detective, glaring up at the camera person, challenging the person to take that picture.


	2. Chapter 2

Fortune's Fool

Written By: Lady Lunar Phoenix

Beta By:

A/N: Can you recognize them? Heh... Hope I'm doing this right...

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The sound of his fist hitting the wall in the elevator, combined with the clap of the cell phone snapping shut sounded off like a prelude to a storm. Souji stood there his fist still planted against the wall, and it was only a last moment flash of common sense that he didn't put his fist 'through' the wall. The doors to the elevator slid open, allowing Souji a way out. He didn't care if the camera picked up his fit, he had tried to keep his calm as he talked to his friends. Their clear anguish over the situation was the only reason he didn't snap at them as well.

He still had them, he had to hold on to those bonds as he recalled the next bus to the mall. He had hours, the officer might not have even been to work yet. But he didn't honestly care, so long as he was moving about, doing 'something' it was better then what he had left as an alternative. Anything to not think on what could be, may be, might be, better then the mental image of her broken body discarded on some road side somewhere. He left without even looking at the mailboxes or the receptionists, they couldn't be of any help.

The soft interior shade of the building gave way to the sharp glare of sun and as the sliding doors parted it let the outside summer heat pour inside. The lack of true foliage caused him to put his sunglasses on as he turned his steps sharply towards the nearest bus stop. It was an ongoing investigation, he knew that much, but would the cop be willing to tell him anything? After all, he had no rank or position other then being the nephew of a police detective. Would being the Detective Prince's boyfriend be enough reason for such information? He stopped for a moment pondering that very phrase for the first time since he and Naoto started dating.

He always thought of Naoto as a girl, so the very phrase 'Boyfriend of the Detective Prince' made him chuckle. He had to wonder if the cop would think Naoto was a homosexual for their relationship. He stood there waiting as the bus finally arrived and came to a stop before him. Climbing up into the vehicle he pulled out his card and slid it into the slot before grabbing the handrail, the bus was too crowded for a seat. The air carried the scent of numerous people, a hint of everywhere they had been, or were going. It was distracting and he found himself gazing outside the window while waiting for the bus to take him to the train.

A flash of vivid color caught his attention to a moving billboard for Rises' latest movie. Before quickly shifting to a commercial for the drink product, also supported by Rise. He had to smile, she had returned to the spot light and she seemed much happier now then she had been when she had been on hiatus. He was happy for her, glad that she could return with a new outlook on something that clearly made her happy. Her popularity was also giving her a great deal of room to move, like with the VIP room at the Club that night.

_When the girls finally had arrived, after dropping off that picture of course, the guys had already begun bringing drinks up and chatting. They had to talk loud, the pounding beat in the next room caused the whole room to vibrate lightly. It was a miracle that the drinks didn't fall to the floor in fact from all that shaking. The black lights lit the room up along with a few colored lights swaying to programed beats that came from a computerized heart. The smell of stale cigarettes lingered only faintly in the air while the soft velvet cushioned seats soaked in their body heat as they sat back. School, life inside and outside of Inaba were the topics of the evening, the guys talked about the girls they had seen, how hot or not they were. _

_Souji enjoyed all of it, conversations without having to be online or over the phone, just face to face talks. The bonds he forged with these people were the strongest when they were together, in an age when it was so easy to disconnect from the people around you. Staying connected in person was deeply satisfying. The door clicked open suddenly breaking their conversation as their perky idol friend popped into the room. _

"_Here's Risette!" She announced as she walked into the room, her hands behind her back and mischief in her eyes. She whirled around to help pull someone past the door into the room. Her short skirt flaring out as she did so, while her short low cut blouse took in the black light turning it a soft shade of blue._

_Naoto appeared in a dark skirt that reached her knees and absorbed the black light and returned nothing, but a soft sheen. Her top was a button on, done up to her chin and she wore boots that reached up her ankles. She looked like a school girl out for her first time in a night club, a young helpless virgin surrounded by a darkness aching to consume her. Their eyes met across the room and he had to admire how much courage it took from her to do this. She was stripped of every one of her personal elements, her comfort zones taken from her. Yet there she stood her hands clasped in front of her, held tight to her chest in fear. Even though she was surrounded by friends who knew her, fought along side her, cried along side her, still she was nervous. _

_'It's you that she is seeking approval from, not them. It's your approval on how she looks that will comfort her.' A gruff voice rumbled in the back of his mind as he stood up. It took few steps to reach her, she had already started walking towards him with her own rapid steps. But she was shivering and scared as he wrapped his arms around her. Holding her close and safe to his body as she tried to suppress her deep nervousness. "You look lovely Naoto." He spoke directly into her ear, the noise making it impossible to just talk, one had to near shout to be heard. She smelled of something spicy, like cinnamon, something that brought to mind a warm sensation in his body. _

_She didn't speak at first, her head ducked down and he could almost feel the blush on her cheeks from the compliment. Then slowly, shyly, she slid her arms around his waist in a greeting hug before looking up at him. _

_He guided her back to his seat, the guys moved to allow her a place to sit while they commented on the girl's outfits. He kept her hand in his, letting her hold on as tightly as she needed while she tried to work out the fear and relax. So he shifted his attention, warmly greeting the trio that had gotten Naoto in the outfit._

"_You don't seem surprised to see Naoto dressed up like this." Chie noted casually, her light green and yellow party clothes now a unique color from the lights in the room._

"_It's not the first time she's worn something outside of men's uniforms." He answered, not wanting to give away the fact that Nanako already told him about the outfit when he was home having dinner._

"_Oh, she certainly made it seem like she's never even seen a skirt before." Yukiko commented just as casually from her spot. Black lights on red were an interesting style, while she was still sober. He honestly hoped she and Rise stayed sober for this, he didn't know how to react if they got placebo drunk again. He was still praying that there was not going to be a King's Game.  
"I have... I-I just don't wear them often..." Naoto responded and Souji only could marvel at it. She was using both the feminine version of 'I' and the masculine version, even spoke in her natural voice. She sounded shaky, her nervousness still clear in her voice. But she was trying to enforce her female side even as she kept switching from male to female terms.  
He leaned over and stole a small peck on the back of her neck, the scent of her perfume warming his lungs. Making him want to drink her in more as he sat there. While she blushed before turning to look at him in surprise. He rested his forehead against hers, lovingly rubbing his thumb against the back of her hand.  
"Ok lovebirds..."_  
"...we're at the train station."  
Souji snapped out of his memories and looked over at the bus driver before realizing that the bus had stopped moving. It was parked at the train station and the two of them were the only ones on the bus at the moment. He apologized as he let go of the rail and walked off the bus, heading for the train terminals. The train terminals were newly painted, in soft cream colors rimmed in dark blues. While ads for the latest releases shone in glossy poster papers upon the walls.  
He looked at the clock jutting out of the wall for the time, wondering as he did so how long had he been daydreaming. The clock showed that the train that would take him to the next station would be pulling in at any moment. He rushed to the landing as the train pulled in, falling in line behind a slip of a woman in a crisp lavender colored business suit. Around him there were bodies moving into the train, while he found a spot to stand near the door. He needed three more stops before he would reach the station he needed.

_He felt warm, as though his he had been bathing under the sun all day_. _He felt flushed and stared down at the top of Naoto's head. She rested against him almost lightly sleeping against him. Something felt off to him, on a subtle level that slowly sent up warning flares in his mind. He had no reason to feel this way, after all the club didn't serve alcohol. Naoto said so back when they first came to Port Island. She had said that due to a rash of drunk driving accidents that they no longer served alcohol. But if that was the case why was he feeling so light headed, unless...?  
"OOoooOOOhhhhh Naoto-kun! The queen has an Order!"  
Naoto jerked up into a sitting position, swaying as she did so which was not a good sign. 'God, have I not done enough for humanity? Why must I suffer so?' He thought as he realized that while he had been sitting there they had opted to play the Kings Game again. But neither he nor Naoto drew chopsticks...  
"Naoto you don't have to do this..." He began when Yukiko's intoxicated voice cheerfully announced in an imperialistic tone.  
"Flash Souji!"  
Souji actually had to stop and think on that command for a good long while, which probably was why he didn't say anything. Naoto on the other hand, though drunker, seemed to have some of her remaining mind. "What?"  
"Just open your top and let Souji see what you got." Yukiko elaborated her voice raising and dropping between giggles and swaying as she moved.  
"Jus' Souji-senpai right?" Naoto asked, blearily seeking elaboration.  
"Yesh, just Souji." Yukiko nodded, Rise nodding along side with the request.  
Naoto wasn't going to do it, he knew Naoto enough that she wasn't the type to... "Ok!"  
Souji mentally stopped when he heard that she agreed to that order. "Naoto..." But his girlfriend was climbing to her feet. She turned around as Souji tried to think of a nice way to tell her that she didn't have to do this. But she grabbed his hands and began pulling back, wanting him to get up.  
"Come on Souji-senpai..." She crooned, her off center gaze warmer then she normally allowed herself to show.  
"Naoto... you don't have to do this." He got up at her insistence, holding on to her while trying to keep them both steady.  
"I... don't mind Souji-senpai." She tugged him along towards the darker parts of the room, where only a random flash of the strobe light touched. Each color merged softly with the black lights as she began unbuttoning her top.  
"Naoto..." A liquored up mind whispered that this was going to be hot, but he didn't care about something being hot or not. He only cared that Naoto could wake up in the morning comfortable with what she was doing now.  
"Only you Souji-Senpai... You'll stay interested in me longer right? I won't have to be alone right?" She seemed to be talking to herself more then anyone else at that moment. "I don't want to be forced to say good bye." The top four buttons had been undone, her fingers now clumsily working on the front clasp of her bra. One that still bound up her breasts though not as extremely as the one she normally wore.  
He had stopped paying attention to anything, but what was before him at that moment. His body felt hotter then ever at that moment. The logical part of his brain that had been trying to stop her had shut off, allowing that more primal part to take over. The one that got an eye full of what she hid under her clothes. The one that demanded that she be ravished as a reward for such courage._  
Those words haunted him now, her drunken comments that maybe after so long he had lost interest, or that she would have to leave him. While it was true that they had been apart for far longer points of time then he would have liked... She was still his own, he still loved her with all his heart. So where had that sense of threat come from? It couldn't have been from the fake kidnapping ploy. He never discussed the girls in the university, after all he was with her. He had no interest in their love letters or notes, he told them all he was spoken for.  
So why did she say that?  
The train came to a stop at the station he needed, allowing him to get out and walk out towards the street. Just three blocks before he'd reach the mall and hopefully get some answers as to what happened. He walked past the tall clean looking buildings, his steps with a purpose as his mind kept pondering over Naoto's drunken comments. The kidnap ploy was meant to bring them closer, so the guys apparently felt that Naoto needed reassurance. It bothered him that Naoto would allow herself to be dragged into what was a clearly silly game by her standards.

Knowing her, she had a list of reasons in her head to submit to that plan of action, but was it? They should have talked, he should have kept her at his place so she could sleep off the alcohol. But that would have conflicted with the picture in the mailbox so they took Naoto away. 'Naoto what happened to scare you so?' he wondered as he turned another corner towards the next block. He tried to remember something else from that night, something that could glean him more information about what had been going on. But after she had flashed him, he had held her close, lightly kissing her neck and showering her in affection she would normally be too modest to accept.

He felt like he was failing her and he hated that feeling, not only her, but the guys back home were probably beating their heads trying to figure out what had happened. The mall stretched out before him, a wide stretch of land with a large parking lot. Tatsumi Port Island was made by man after all, there was plenty of space for a mall of this size. But he recalled near by a police station within the mall, near Club Escapade.

The building shielded his eyes from the bright sunlight, allowing him to take off the sunglasses as he made his way through the mall. Past the myriad of stores supplying things from clothes, to shoes, accessories to books. He past the food court and down another lane of stores before he reached Club Escapade and beyond that the police station. Even foot steps, he wasn't going to run and draw attention to himself, brought him to the front door. Only to have it open before his hand even touched the knob, a single tall, though not as tall as himself, man was walking out.

Considering the current situation he normally wouldn't have paid much attention. But this man... there was something about him, he was tall, not as tall as Souji though. His hair was short and of the same odd color people sometimes were born with, in this case a type of gray boarding white. There was a white shirt with a red vest and black pants. Yet something about this guy, and apparently it was also sensed in return. Because the guy paused and looked at him.

They just stood in the door way, eying each other without words or gestures feeling the other out as though wondering if this was a threat or ally. Then suddenly the guy gave a slight smile before turning and walking away. The sensation was fleeting, but powerful, as though Souji had brushed up against someone from the same school. He didn't know the person, but there was a sense of commonality that existed. Something that said they walked a similar path at one time, or perhaps they still walked it.

"Persona."

"What? But how..." Souji was left floored as the stranger walked off. But he had to let it go, Naoto needed him more. Turning he walked into the station his expression calm, though he was worried still. He hadn't been able to think of a way to ask about Naoto. There was one lone officer sitting behind the desk with several files about. Behind him was a series of phones, and desks so apparently there was more to this place then just one cop manning the shop. But who to ask?

"Is there a reason for your visit?" The officer behind the desk was staring at him with an expression like a hawk. Anyone lesser would have been intimidated, but then this was Souji.

"I'm here regarding the kidnapping of Shirogane, Naoto."


	3. Chapter 3

A Fortune's Fool

Written By: Lady Lunar Phoenix

Beta:

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It was a blunt statement, to the point and direct. It was also a statement that had to be replied to, save that the phone rang at that precise moment. But it wasn't any of the office phones, rather it was the personal cell that the cop wore. He checked it, his face smooth of any emotion before answering it.

"I'm here." Was all he said. But after that there was only a brief moment before he nodded. "Understood."

From there he closed his phone and put it back into it's holder before returning his attention fully on Souji. "What would you like to know?"

For a moment Souji could only stare at the man in barely suppressed shock, shouldn't there have been more before such willing agreement?

"I worked with the girl back when she was 10 years old. I can give you some information at the very least... Don't look so surprised, the family is well known among the Perfectural Offices. Those who have those connections know about her true gender." The officer explained as he began walking around the desk towards a small wooden gate. "You might as well come over here. Oh and the name is Kurosawa."

He undid the latch allowing Souji to walk further inside the simple office before leading the young man to a door on the side. "She's been involved in a great deal of cases and been instrumental in solving them. But there's always a chance that a backlash could happen." He opened the door before walking to a desk with a stack of large notebooks. Opening the one on the top he pulled out a CD and placed it in a machine before taking a pair of headphones and holding them out for Souji to put on.

"So you were the one who was talking to her that day." He didn't ask, it was rather clear that Kurosawa knew something. But he slipped the headphones on and the cop began typing into the computer system next to the machine.

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Ring

Ring

Ri- "Shirogane here." Naoto's voice was tired, pained as though she had a serious headache.

"Have I caught you at a bad time Shirogane-san?"

"Na... No... I just got back late..." She almost sounded sheepish.

"Oh, that's right, you graduated High School I believe."

"Hm, yes, how did you know?"

"Well it's not hard to figure out considering how old you are."

"Is... is there a reason why you're calling then? I know it's not to simply wish me congratulations." There was sound going on in the room, as though Naoto was getting up and moving about on her own.

"Yes, it's come to my attention that one of the more violent of criminals you caught years ago has managed to escape."

"... I see... And you're calling me because you believe?" She left her statement hanging, but there was a sound of her sliding on something.

"I think you need to increase your protections for now. Until he has been recaptured."

"You believe my life to be in danger." She put it bluntly, the phone sounded close to her mouth.

Beep.

"Give me a second Kurosawa-san." She sounded distracted before the phone clicked and then clicked again. "Damn Omiai."

"Omiai? Aren't you a little young for a pre arranged marriage?"

"Yes. But in this case they don't know me." She snorted in mild annoyance, but there was an undercurrent of another emotion in her voice.

"Ah, I see, they unknowingly are thinking you to be a good husband."

"It's not funny, at least I can politely decline." Naoto sounded angry and bitter. "But back... wait... Kurosawa-san. I... Damn it I think someone broke in!" She sounded angry at herself, for not noticing. Then again she had been drinking, no matter how slightly. But that was Naoto, she blamed herself for things she had no real control over.

"Shirogane-san get out of there right now."

"I'm already on..." There was a sound of a door clicking open, followed by Naoto's startled cry as the phone got a wonderful clip of a fist on flesh.

The phone clattered to the ground while the sound of rapid footsteps staggered back. A voice, too low to be heard clearly, with only the word 'Bastard' being spat out was picked up.

"He's big, about 170cm's or 175cm's..." Her voice was pained, the first blow must have landed on her face or head. Another growl answered her attempts to talk. Suddenly one set of foot steps sounded firm, while the lighter steps become more uneven. "Green eyes..." Her voice sounded as though she was being yanked around.

"Shut up you bastard!" There was a cry of pain as the sound of a body landing hard on the floor shot into the phone.

The phone picked up the sound of scrambling, someone small, a lithe build which meant Naoto. A drawer was flung open before a cry of pain was heard, mixed with the hard crack of something... Then came the painful sound of a body falling limp to the floor, the sound of silence, then footsteps.

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Kurosawa stood there watching as the young man rested his elbows on the desk. The youth rested his forehead against his hands, his posture one of anguish as he finally pulled off the headphones . The young man looked like he was praying, so he was close to the Detective Prince? He didn't know, only that Akihiko had told him it was ok to let the guy in. "I called the local office after she told me she believed someone broke in. But it wasn't fast enough, she was gone by the time anyone got there that could have saved her."

"Thank you for letting me listen... Do you know if there's any headway in the case so far?" Souji asked from where he was sitting. His voice was calm, but he was looking straight ahead and made no other move then to talk.

"I wouldn't know, I don't have access to the information from the Inaba region outside of this one phone call." Kurosawa stated, it was the truth, though he knew this guy wanted more then just a simple phone call.

"If this is a previous case... is there any way I can get the records or pictures of the people who she caught over the years?" Souji asked, barely having turned his head to speak more directly to Kurosawa.

"It would be easier if you went to the Shirogane estate yourself. They would have kept copies of everything. If I tried to get it, that would take more time. Do you know where the Estate is?" he asked, "It's near Inaba, but still a ways out."

"I would appreciate the directions," Souji replied while he pushed himself to his feet.

It was how the young man held himself erect after such exposure, the set of his shoulders, something that told him that this young man could possibly help find the Detective Prince in time. Kurosawa nodded and quietly went off to get the address written down letting the youth have a moment to himself. A moment that was used by the young man to slam his fist into a wall by the sounds of it. The actions of a leader he could only assume, not wanting his own pain to be visible to anyone.

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Dojima sat in his office staring at the spot in front of his desk. There really wasn't anything else he could do at that moment, but stare at it. It was something safe, it didn't move, made no gestures, was just a spot on the wall. It was also quiet, patient with him, and didn't make him feel years older then he actually was. It was just a spot on the wall that had been there since the building was erected and would be there in some fashion or another until the building went down. Maybe it would get a fresh load of paint, but nothing else.

_Being a police officer is more then carrying a gun or a badge. Anyone can do that, but it takes a special type of person to be either. You have to have the drive to do it, it's not a 9 to 5 job where you wake up go to work and come home. Lots of times it's long hours in the office, pouring over files. You could end up kneeling in the rain at a crime scene, picking at things for hours, trying to find some trace or clue to a crime that links a person to a place and time. This isn't a Runway from Milan or New York, it can get dirty, gritty and a lot of times frustrating. But you know that, your first taste in learning the life of a detective is what brought Adachi in when you discovered his crimes. You have to have a very big heart, and be prepared to have that heart hurt often, because you're going to see a lot of pain in this line of work._

_But more then that, you're going to see a lot of ego's, look at Naoto, she disguised herself for years as a boy just for any type of recognition. Being a woman who wants to follow her path only as a cop instead of detective won't change things. It's not going to be easy for you, people are going to write you off as nothing more then a meter maid most of the time. But you have to have that heart in order to keep going, to find the truth, to protect the innocents. Sometimes you won't be able to, sometimes they get away... No matter how much we may hate that, sometimes there's just nothing we can do._

Dojima recalled when Chie sat across from him, her body blocking that spot when she told him of her goal to be a cop. He'd gone on longer about the responsibilities and duties that came with the badge. She nodded with her eyes shinning with determination, she wanted a similar path or maybe it was the same path. Inaba was a small town, the cops knew her pretty well and welcomed her in like a little sister. Sure there was still that male ego and pride, but Chie worked under him, so she got less flack for being there then say, Naoto herself when she started out years before.

"_Dojima-san?" She poked her head into his office, answering his summons promptly. He didn't turn to look at her, he had been trying to turn the phrase he was about to say over in his mind and get it to stick. "Chie, I want you to call your friends, the ones still in Inaba, you know. That investigation team you were in back during the murders." _

"_Why? Is something the matter?" She walked in further, seeking more clarification then what he had given at the moment. She was in her uniform, her cap on, a very neat professional appearance that pleased him. At times it was actually entertaining to walk in on a conversation between Chie and Naoto. It didn't make the law enforcement system look so sexiest like when she was helping Chie try to find a gun that suited her._

"_I want all of you together when I explain this, I don't want to repeat myself." he explained still staring at good ol Spot on the Wall._

"_Ummm," she began hedging about something her tone hinting that she was trying to guess what this was about. "Is... something wrong with Souji? Did he call?" She began when she suddenly blurted out a, "not that he should! Haha just... you know?"_

"_Chie. It's Naoto, I want all of you together so I don't have to explain this more then once." He repeated for her. Also he didn't want 'her' to explain this more then once, this wasn't something easy. She had only done the most basic of stuff, meter maiding, citations, this wasn't small time, and it was personal._

"_What about Naoto? She's not sick is she?" Chie began to look uncomfortable her eyes growing uneasy and nervous. "Umm Souji called didn't he?"_

"_Why do you think Souji would call? I doubt he knows about this." He countered, mildly confused as to why Chie kept trying to bring Souji into this. _

"_Oh I don't know... I mean the letter said 'not' to call the cops and uh... well..." She had begun to babble, her thoughts coming out like a stream of information. "But I guess he might have called you, since you're family and stuff." _

"_Naoto's been kidnapped." He put it bluntly, sometimes a blunt fact could stop Chie from running off on her thoughts._

"_No she's not!" Chie's automatic answer caught him off guard as she went on to elaborate. "He just thinks that because that's what the picture says. But it's just a joke, we're going to trick Souji into coming back to Inaba! It's this totally romantic idea that the employees over at the Amagi Inn helped us cook up." _

_He could only stare at her long and hard for a moment, he didn't mean to, he could see her starting to worry more. 'A romantic...' He felt like something had just hit him in the back of the head with a board, and it took a great deal of training not to show that shock. _

"_Souji never called me."_

"_Look, just tell him that you're on the case. We have everything covered, no problems! OH! I know, you tried to call her right? She's probably still sleeping since they over guessed the amount of liquor they put in her drink last night." She went on, but he shut her words out as he tried to absorb that fact._

_They got Naoto drunk. The girl wasn't big, and none of the gang were drinkers to start with, so they wouldn't know how much to put in. No wonder Naoto had missed any and all signs that someone had broken into her apartment. She would have been vulnerable and the conversation that had been recorded between herself and Kurosawa suddenly made more sense._

"_Chie, I'm ordering you as your commanding officer to call and get your friends in my office asap." He didn't want to be hard with her. He never thought that a prank meant for romance would take such a dark turn. She obeyed though, her eyes uncertain as she began dialing away giving orders and calling others. _

_'I'm going to have to call Souji, given what Chie said he's probably already worried sick about Naoto. This is only going to make it worse.' _

_They arrived, piling into his office one after another, with various expressions of worry and concern. Not much having changed from the way the gang looked or behaved outwardly, but there was an undercurrent of worry growing in them. Yukiko clutched a hand full of pictures in her hands bringing them to Chie to confer with her over something._

"_As you five currently still in Inaba are the closest to Naoto, I felt it was for the best to tell you first. Naoto's been kidnapped, unless your stunt involved cracking her head open on her dresser that is." _

_The pictures spilled onto the floor as everyone stopped moving and turned to look at him._

"_Nao-chan? Someone took Nao-chan?" Teddie was the first to attempt to talk, to ask the question in every pair of eyes staring at him. _

"_Yes, Teddie."_

"_Yer lying! She's gotta be here!" Kanji was the first to get angry, flipping out his cell phone and dialing a number rapidly. But their heads turned as one towards the drawer in Dojima's desk, something was ringing. Without a word Dojima pulled out the cell phone, still in it's plastic bag, from when they cased the apartment._

_Every face was pale, distraught, Yukiko picked up the pictures and put them on the desk before him. He paused looking at these young adults, and that's what they were, young adults, before looking at the pictures. Naoto was always tied up, in every picture, but after a while the outfits began to change._

"_The story is that a guy decided he liked Naoto and wanted her for himself. So he kidnaps her and taunts Souji by sending the pictures. She didn't agree to it at first. She despised the whole idea of it, but then one night she called Chie and said she'd do it. We didn't understand or ask, she seemed to want to keep the reason to herself. But we grabbed Rise and went shopping and began buying things that would look good on her." Yukiko explained her voice soft, tentative as though by saying that she had condemned them all to a terrible punishment. _

_He picked up the last picture, a candle lit dinner in the Amagi Inn clearly. Naoto had been handcuffed with her hands behind her back. But she wore a lovely modern gown, modest in cut, one that seemed to show her curves without overexposing them. It was a bit of a surprise, seeing Naoto dressed like a girl on a date, rather then a boy on a case. _

_He didn't know, his nephew had solved a murder case after all, he might have figured out something was up much sooner. But this was being set up by his friends and Dojima doubted that Souji would say 'no'. Besides, for a picture like the one he held, how could Souji resist a girlfriend looking so helpless and needing a champion? A silly idea, one that Naoto would normally scoff, and yet, something made her change her mind._

_But he doubted it had anything to do with the actual kidnapping, and he had no business to pry into her personal life. Instead he reached out and selected a line before dialing out of the office._

"_Dojima-san?" Chie sounded so weak as she spoke, her eyes filled with concern._

"_You kept implying that Souji should already know about this false kidnapping. He needs to know the situation has changed." _


	4. Chapter 4

A Fortune's Fool

Written By: Lady Lunar Phoenix

Beta By:

A/N: You'll see this in the Persona listing as well, but I'm going to start uploading this into the Megami Tensei Listing as well. All my future works will go there as well.

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The music was still loud and jarring at the food court. Everyone was walking about shopping and carrying on like there was nothing wrong in the world. Which was true, because in the end nothing was wrong in their worlds. Only in the group huddled down in misery at that one table. Now three seats were empty. Souji was in Port Island, Rise was working on a new music video, now Naoto's chair was empty, too.  
They had left a message on Rises' voice mail about the situation, hoping maybe she had seen something. Beyond that there wasn't any real activity around the table, even Teddies' normal happy-go-lucky attitude was subdued. "Nao-chan is going to be ok, though right? It's like the idea, only there really are bad guys. They'll just tie her up and we'll go in and rescue her!" He looked about. "Right?"  
Yosuke sighed heavily before turning to look at Teddie, he really didn't want to burst the Shadow's bubble of hope. But both Chie and Yukiko were distraught, unable to even look up from their spots. He wanted to turn towards Souji and ask what was next, but he couldn't. By not answering, Teddie gained his answer and he slumped into his seat just as despondent as the rest of the gang.

A ring startled them as Chie quickly reached for her Cell, her eyes anxious and then widening. "Rise?" She asked quickly. Everyone straightened up at the name, their focus turned towards the young cop in training.

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"Chie? What was that voice message? What do you mean Naoto was kidnapped?" Rise sounded outraged, which was understandable, the pain would kick in later.

"I know Rise, I thought Souji called Dojima-san, but he didn't." Her voice began to choke up, "someone actually took Naoto away. It's our fault too! If we hadn't gotten her drunk she wouldn't have been so defenseless."

"But how is that possible? We left her alone in her own apartment, when could they have possible grabbed her?" Rise asked trying to put this together in a way that wouldn't upset her.

"I don't know, Dojima-san thinks they broke in while we were gone and hid." Chie replied her eyes looking at her skirt.

"Wait... Someone kidnapped Naoto-kun by hiding 'in' her apartment while we were out with her partying?!" Rise's voice began to rise up in disbelief and growing horror. "Chie-senpai they didn't rap--"

"NO!" Chie shouted in horror before bitting her lip to control her voice. Around them people turned to look at her in concern before going back to their own lives. The gang looked surprised by her sudden aggressive denial of something. "No! Don't say that Rise! Please! Things are bad enough I don't want to even think that they may have..."

Yukiko looked ill she didn't need Chie to say 'it', the guys were quiet while Chie tried to gather her wits back around her.

"What about Teddie? Did he find anything?" Rise asked, her voice thoughtful.

"No, he couldn't pick her scent up in the TV." Chie replied her voice carrying her worry, as she fiddled with an empty can of melon soda.

"What about in the real world? I mean, I can't summon outside the TV world, but Teddie 'is' a Shadow. Maybe he can pick up her scent?" Rise suggested, behind her there was no other sound, so where ever Rise was, she was alone.

"Teddie... I... We never thought of that! Thanks Rise!" Chie bounded to her feet, the others getting up as well.

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"What about me?" Teddie asked his head tilted to the side, curious.

"Teddie, Rise wants to know if you think you could track Naoto's scent on this side?" Everyone turned their attention onto Teddie who blinked in response before looking introspective at that.

"I.. don't know. I've never tried to follow a scent on this side before." He admitted, he never even thought to try when it came to chasing Namatame. "But I will for Nao-chan! I'll try real hard for Sensei and Nao-chan!"

"Come on then! Let's go!" Yosuke turned to leave leading the group, yet in a way not. How could Souji have done this during the murder cases? How could he so calmly handle the responsibility of knowing that lives were on the line and not fret about every decision? He felt his phone start to vibrate before the ringing began and he pulled out it. "Think of the Devil. Souji!"

The group stopped in their tracks at the name, turning as one to look at Yosuke, then they continued to walk along with Yosuke in the center of them. They all needed to hear and discuss what they were going to do.

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"How is everything going on over there?" Souji asked, the random noise of a population going on around him.

"Well, Rise just called and she thinks maybe Teddie can hopefully scent out our kidnapper." Yosuke replied trying to sound like a confident leader. Better that then a teenager who was scared and confused about what to do next. Every person had their place in life, no matter how much they may want another role, sometimes they just had to stick with what they knew.

"If he needs clues I can give them. I found the officer Chie was talking about, he let me listen to the phone conversation." Souji explained, his voice more controlled, calm.

"He... you heard that conversation?" That couldn't have been good, from what Dojima-san had said there had been blood spilled during the kidnapping. The others stopped around him looking at him in concern even as they crammed themselves into the elevator. "Are you ok?"

"About as fine as anyone else would be in this type of situation. I'm dealing. But Naoto managed to give out some pieces of descriptions that might help."

"She what?" Yosuke couldn't believe his ears, the girl was in the middle of a hangover, being beaten by a punk and she 'still' managed to get a description in?

"She said he was about 170cm or 175cm's, green eyes, big build so he would be physical thick as well." Souji recited from his end of the phone, and Yosuke could only give a low whistle.

"I said it before and I'll say it again, for a girl she has balls." Yosuke had to admire the kind of strength that took. After all, the last time she got kidnapped she admitted she had been scared, but that had just been Namatame trying to 'save her'.

"Still, he thinks that Naoto is a boy, Naoto had been using male terms and speaking in her male voice again. So now I need to find out who took her, or why they would." Souji explained as the group turned down the street.

"Well, isn't it to get back at her?" Yosuke asked confused, after all wasn't that the usual reason for kidnapping?

"If it's to get back at her, they won't bother to try and take care of her. So there's only a small window of time she'll be ok, before whatever they deprive her of becomes important. If they're holding her for ransom or for some set of conditions then they'll treat her better." Souji explained patiently, while Yosuke tried to process the notion of torture. He thought that the TV world was bad enough, but a Persona couldn't help against a kidnapper in the real world.

"So how long do we have?" Yosuke asked while while waiting for a light to change.

"It's not like before, we'd have only a few days." Souji replied his voice growing softer with his concern.

"I'll let the gang know, so what are you going to be doing?" he asked, did Souji have any other leads?

"I'm going to the Shirogane Estate to see if I can get Naoto's grandfather to let me look at the old cases." He answered.

"Why?" It was a good question in Yosuke's mind.

"Because it was mentioned that one of the criminals that Naoto put in jail broke out. It's possible that he's the one that's kidnapped her." Souji explained.

"I see..." The conversation seemed to be winding down by then. "Souji? Hang in there, we're going to find her." Yosuke finally spoke the group's thought on the matter, there wasn't much more to say beyond that.

"I know we will. I can still feel her."

"We'll call you if we find anything." Yosuke promised as they said their good byes.

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"Well?! What did he say?" Chie asked anxiously as she stopped walking, the others following suit. The sun was nearly setting, after they reached Naoto's place they were going to have to go home for the night. Which meant one more day gone from finding their friend was marked by vivid reds, golds and violet.

Yosuke relayed the information for the group, watching as they grew quiet and thoughtful. "Naoto hasn't grown much since she came here, she's finished up I think in height. She's rather petite so a man that size against her..." Yukiko began before she grew quiet, her thoughts working.

"Yeah, but Naoto knows some basic hand to hand stuff. If we hadn't gotten her drunk I don't think that guy would have gotten to kidnap her." Chie replied her voice becoming angry again when Yosuke rested his hand on her shoulder.

"Come on guys, we need to stop playing the blame game. Before we seriously screw up and miss something important." Kanji growled as he pushed his way ahead and moved along towards her apartment, Chie following suit.

Kanji hadn't spoken much, the group knew how he felt about Naoto. Yosuke had teased him relentlessly about it, until they found out Naoto was a girl. But despite losing the Detective Prince to their Leader, the feelings hadn't left. But what could he do really? So long as she was happy with Souji, Kanji would have to be happy with that. But that didn't stop him from trying to look after Naoto while Souji was away. Only now he had let the two people who meant the most to him down. What kind of man did that?

They were trying to recall if they saw anyone fitting that description before the graduation party. Since the guy needed time to find Naoto's place before he actually took the girl. But they had all been busy with their plans for the fake kidnapping or work. The group passed through the sliding doors of the apartment building before going to the elevator. Kanji and Yosuke had helped carry Naoto to her apartment, as the girl was staggering and blearily lost. Chie had gone to help Yukiko back to her place while the guys had been in charge of looking after Naoto.

Yosuke's head snapped up in concern as he noticed Chie taking off running. There was a guy leaving Naoto's apartment? What the hell? The girl didn't even give a warning she went straight into one of her flying kicks and knocked the guy straight off his feet.

"Chie!" Yukiko was stunned into shock that her best friend would just attack a person straight out. He didn't fit the description of the kidnapper after all!

"You don't have permission to be here! Who do you think you are to be in her apartment?!" Chie growled at the guy who was picking himself up off the ground.

"You know you could get in trouble for assault?" The guy asked in return, eying Chie angrily. He didn't fit it at all save perhaps height.

"You can still walk and talk, Dojima-san said anyone disturbing a Crime Scene can be a target." She countered back as the group caught up.

"Hey... isn't... Isn't that Nao-chan's guns?!" Teddie wormed his way from between Yosuke and Yukiko to grab the pair of guns that had fallen when the guy got kicked.

"What?! The hell you doing with her stuff you punk!" Kanji demanded as the others fell in behind him.

"Those are good quality guns, there's no reason for them to be here." he replied reaching to take them back from Teddie who backed up with them.

"Except that they belong to Naoto-kun!" Yukiko retorted angrily moving aside so Teddie could get behind her.

"She can't handle guns of those calibers, they belong in stronger hands." The guy replied trying to get beyond Yukiko without hurting her. He was about Yosuke's height, and dressed neatly as a collage student himself. But Chie's automatic response to attack him, coupled by his arrogance to take Naoto's weapons earned him their animosity quickly.

"This coming from a guy who can't even out shoot her!" Chie retorted in hot tempered disgust while Yosuke used the moment to quietly tug Teddie over to the door to Naoto's apartment.

For a moment Teddie was confused why he was being pulled closer to the guy who wanted to take Naoto's guns away. But then it hit him and he turned to look inside her apartment, it wasn't entirely neat, a contrast to how Naoto looked and carried herself. It was just another aspect of Naoto and another thing that could be used to track her. Like in the TV world! His smaller stature allowed him to slip into the open door and walk around. Taking deep sniffs of the air while hoping that the bad guy's scent was still there.

He passed the small kitchenette area, the table had what looked like some type of cleaning kit resting on it. He picked up easily on Chie's anguish and fear from when she came into the apartment the first time. Then as he moved closer to a room in the back he began to pick up different scents. Anger, rage, a determination of a twisted heart that tainted the air into something that brought to mind how the Shadows back in the Other World could be like. Then there was her scent, defiant, strong, yet scared at the same time.

"Scared... Nao-chan was scared." Teddie's shoulders' sagged in sadness, he didn't like the scent of fear from his friends. He walked around a bit until the other scent grew stronger, curious he approached the slightly opened door to a closet. But a closet carried the scent of the person who wore the clothes. This scent was the same as the other who had taken Naoto, so then... this must have been where he hid before he grabbed her!

Stunned by this another thought rolled into his mind, he knew this scent! He knew he smelled it from somewhere! But from where? He met so many people in Junes that all the scents he never bothered to think on ran together into one mess. _We just have to find the suspicious person then right? If we find him, then I'll be able to check his scent. We can find him if I do that right? I can do this! I can! _

He rushed to the door, listening to see if there was any more fighting going on before he poked his head out. "Is it safe?"

"Yeah, come on out." Kanji replied while the gang turned to face him. "Any luck in there?"

"I found the scent, but..." He couldn't admit that he didn't recall where he had caught that scent before.

"But now we have to find the person with the matching scent." Chie nodded looking at Teddie before turning to look over at the setting sun view of Inaba.

"Hey Chie, what did that guy do exactly to make you so mad? I can't imagine that you would just outright attack someone like that." Yukiko asked quietly, unsure of what inspired her best friend's anger.

"Remember what I said about that guy who was pestering Naoto-kun and me at the shooting range?" Chie asked in turn looking at her friend. Only to get one 'yes' and a chorus of 'no'. She looked about before sighing before looking back at them.


	5. Chapter 5

A Fortune's Fool

Written By: Lady Lunar Phoenix

Beta:

A/N: This concludes the first day since Naoto's official kidnapping!

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It starts with a sore throat, the pain spreads like a drop of ink, or blood from the source. It cuts off air and drags at a person to wake up. The pain tells the person they need to wake up and move to unblock the passage of air. So the person does, sluggishly opening their eyes to a dusty rug that probably hasn't been cleaned in a few years. There's a throbbing pain in the corner of the mouth, that makes opening it difficult for anything. The body is numb, sore from the restraints placed upon it by a seemingly stronger power. Where the head had been hanging a small splotch stained the dusty rug. Another rested close by where a silent pair of lips dripped them out like the tears of a wounded angel.

The room was pink in color, an ungodly amount of pink. It was that pink that people put in their daughter's bedrooms to reinforce those soft, frilly notions in their heads. The door was a newly painted shade of pink that was similar to the walls around it. The doorways had been altered to be as flat as the walls around them. Making it hard to tell wall from door, escape from desperate scrambling at said wall in a haze of pain. The room was barren of anything else though, save a lone forlorn curtain hanging over the window, shutting out the sunlight and world beyond.

Shutting out hope.

But the spirit was still defiant.

When Naoto first awoke, she had been locked up in a trunk so small that her knees were touching her nose. If only she hadn't been a girl, she would have inherited more of her father's side of the family in height and weight class. Then she wouldn't have turned into a tipsy airhead in less time then it took to boil water. Which would have meant she would have woken up at her regular time and not have been so easily kidnapped.

A jolt in the vehicle she had been traveling in made her head hit the wall causing her to wince in pain as she laid there. Tape over her mouth, a blindfold over her eyes, a box so small and air so slight that it was sent her slowly back under the deeper darkness.

_Why was she doing this?_

_Well the answer was pretty simple, a born detective, she had a very short list that answered 'why'. Why she allowed herself to be tied up and had pictures of her taken, or made to look helpless, everything she hated, despised she gave into. A part of her feared that she would make herself appear so weak that Souji wouldn't like it. But then the others said that while she may have been fixated on 'being a man', based on the concepts of strength and respect. She lacked an understanding of the other aspects._

"_Souji will figure out eventually that this isn't a serious kidnapping Naoto-chan. And it's a total turn on to a guy. By the time he figures out what's going on, he's going to be in a more protective mood. It's a game that we can play with him, and the reward will be a nice romantic evening at Yukiko's inn. It's totally a win-win situation!" Chie had repeated that statement almost by verbatim since the idea came up. _

_It had been unspeakably bizarre to sit in her apartment and write up what would be needed to create a kidnapping. Knowing that she had been writing her 'own' kidnapping as she did so. The older girls told her to just write the information they needed. They would work on the plot and story behind it. While the girls admitted to not being a writer of any sort, Rise had a writer who had been a bit bored and was willing to help concoct a storyline._

"_You make for a rather attractive young man, but that is just clothes, make up and how you carry yourself. But you are attempting to woo a young man, which doesn't work exactly well with how you carry yourself." The maid commented as Naoto sat next to a small, but lovely, pond that rested near the Inn. _

"_I am not wooing him. We're already dating." She replied, her voice low when she got a soft scolding tut sound from the woman._

"_Wrong 'I'." The maid corrected gently as she knelt down to sit by the detective. "Why are you going for such a thing then?" She asked her head tilted to the side, attentive and curious. _

"_That is rather personal." Naoto replied in a formal polite tone, the woman may have meant well, but Naoto didn't want to discuss possible betroths. Not with anyone, even Souji himself, which was what made this irrational, belittling stunt the more aggravating yet necessary. Her fingers curled more tightly around the pad of paper and pen she had been writing with. She had written the basics of a kidnapping, how it was carried out normally, the type that would be used in a hostage situation. Even shown Chie how to tie a person up in ways that would allow for limited movement for an assailant to show their control._

_But Souji wasn't going to be allowed to use police resources, so she had to take into account mistakes and errors in judgment. A clumsy kidnapper who only wished to show off his prize, it would have to be something Souji could handle. So the pictures had to have clues in them, signs that would point to where Naoto was. She had worked up the original list, then went over it and over it. Taking off things and putting in notes to explain how this or that could be used._

"_Forgive me, but I, well we ladies 'are' a touch curious." The lady explained her voice still patient, still gentle. "It is just that you seem to be a falcon trying to be a swan." The woman wore a lovely kimono, aesthetically appealing to the eye in soft shades of cherry blossom pink with cranes standing or taking flight on it. Her hair was up in the traditional manner, everything about her screamed of what Naoto had run so far from. _

"_A-A falcon trying to be a swan?" What did that mean? She wasn't all that into animals to start with, though she knew about insects and other things that could appear during the decomposition of a corpse. _

"_Falcons mate for life, as do swans, but in hiding your gender you act more like a falcon, small and dangerous. But you are trying to shed that image for this plan you and the others have going on, as though you wish to be a swan." The woman elaborated gently as she turned her gaze out towards the pond. Across the way a dragonfly dipped down and landed on a reed piercing the water a typical image of a serene setting._

"_I, I wouldn't consider Souji-senpai as a falcon," she began softly her eyes lowering to the ground closer to her. Swans were lovely to look at, she still could recall that time in America. When her grandfather had taken her to see his friend. They had spent the day at the man's home, also by a lake, one blessed to have swans. "Yukiko-senpai exudes more swan like qualities then I." She remarked, her voice growing thoughtful._

"_Well yes, Souji-kun is very much like a swan himself. From what we've been told he's very kind and laid back, much like a swan himself. But he is strong and protective of his friends and loved ones I've been told." The bird lady, and with all this talk on birds why not such a title, replied. But how did she know of Senpai's qualities? "Swans are like that, they're beautiful and graceful. But they protect what is theirs fiercely." The maid explained softly her gaze fixed on Naoto._

_But the words puzzled Naoto, and not in a good way as she could pick up that there was a meaning to those words. "How do you know so much about Senpai?" She asked quietly her voice calm, but she was thinking the whole time, trying to figure out what the woman was getting at. Deciphering the angle. _

"_Oh Yukiko-chan had a big crush on Souji-kun, he was the first boy she talked so much about." The tone had shifted from being completely gentle to an, intentional but subtle, slap to the face that got itself a response out of Naoto._

_The girl froze staring at the woman with her eyes wide in shock as it clicked, why she was being described as 'dangerous' and liken to a predator. "I-I... I-I didn't know... I had no idea..." She went back into her masculine tones and words before facing the pond instead. Maids talked, servants talked all of them would have known about Yukiko-senpai's feelings for Senpai. So that must have meant that they now all knew who took Yukiko-senpai's first love from her. _

"_Oh we figure that, the way she described things told us before she recognized it herself, that he didn't care for her in the same way." The Bird Lady admitted rather candid in her tone._

_Leaving Naoto with two options, face the woman's defensiveness about Yukiko-senpai's unrequited feelings for Souji, or run home crying like a girl. While running sounded like a terribly good idea at the moment. After all, while she could fathom the idea of girls being interested in him. It never occurred to her that maybe someone she knew would as well. Later, when she was safe within the walls of her apartment, she would give in to her pain at inadvertently hurting a friend. But for now, she wasn't going to back down, just as she didn't from the men in the station. She righted herself fully to attention staring at the woman, daring her to challenge the Detective Prince. _

"_While I do apologize for the pain of not winning Souji-senpai's heart may have caused. He has chosen me as I have chosen him. I will 'not' surrender that which is mine by right." _

Her limbs were starting to fall asleep, forcing her to pay attention to the world around her again. She couldn't stay on her knees forever after all, she stood up as far as she could and began pulling back. She had to try to work the nail holding her to the wall loose, but to do so constricted the modified prong collar she wore. She pulled between breathes, for as long as she could before she began to see stars. She over extended herself the last time, blacked out in pain and lack of air . Been left dangling from the collar, the prongs digging into her throat as she hung there.

'I have to get out of here on my own. I don't know how long it will be before they tell Senpai that I've been abducted. He'll worry, and I don't want him to get hurt over something like this.' She thought.

_The shrine at the top of the hill, Souji had mentioned that the Fox that accompanied them into the other world was from there. A shrine that had no human to look after it properly would be a good place to hide the Knife. So she turned her steps towards the lonely shrine, walking up the hill her mind more focused on getting the Knife back. The shrine certainly did look lonely, no wonder the fox was making Souji run so many odd jobs in an attempt to bring people to it. Though what exactly was the fox? It was far too intelligent to be just a wild creature._

_She saw someone in the distance standing before the shrine, tall, graying hair neatly kept, a black suit. She ran forward, but when the man turned to face her she could only stare for a moment. Yakushiji, was the Phantom Thief? But he wasn't supposed to be home, oh wait. He wasn't, he was here hiding the tools she made as a child. She had a sudden childish urge to yell at her grandpa for putting her through this. Distracting her from her reason for being in Inaba in the first place with a childish game. _

"_You're..." Yakushiji pulled out a small item that she knew already. Her knife, one of the other tools she had made. Older now, she couldn't help but wonder what convinced her that it made sense to hold a knife to one's ear._

_Only her vision was suddenly blocked by Souji-senpai's body as he got between them. _

"_Naoto stay back." He ordered in a tone he normally reserved for in the Other World. But what was wrong?_

"_Senpai..." What was he doing? She had her gun, he didn't even have his sword with him and couldn't summon outside of the Other World. He'd get hurt if this had been a real threat! Would he attack Yakushiji-san? Oh how would she explain 'that' to her grandpa? "Th-There's no reason for alarm! That knife is a toy!" _

"_A-a toy?" He sounded confused, but he fell back a step, even as beyond him Yakushiji-san ran off. The sound of the toy dropping to the stone laid path letting her know the item had been recovered. She was relieved that violence didn't break out, Yakushiji was a good man having served the family faithfully for years. _

_She walked around Souji, reclaiming the knife. Why was she shaking though? "This knife... I knew it. It's another of the seven tools I made... This is a knife-shaped radio. As I said it's just a toy." She remembered how she made it when she was a child, dismantling preexisting items to create her tools. But if it hadn't been Yakushiji and the knife had been real? _

_In a burst of the anger, anger that she didn't know where it's focus was from, she tore her hat off her head and found herself shouting at Senpai. "But... Even so, what you did... What if the Knife had been real!? You would've been in grave danger!" She must have looked like a child, like everyone scoffed her as being. Standing there shouting at him, while gripping the bill of her cap before she put it back on her head. What if the knife had been real? What would they do? What would she do? Out of everyone in the group, it was only Souji-senpai that she really could talk to. He was her Senpai, in a way her teacher like Teddie called him. _

_Oh Kanji-kun tried to talk to her, often in fact. But she couldn't fathom what he was trying to convey half the time. Or rather she couldn't explain things in a way he could. It was rather disheartening sometimes, because Kanji-kun spoke with a rather earthy street style wisdom that she found informative and interesting. But she could tell her scientific perceptions and speech often left him confused and her on the border of frustration. _

_But Souji-senpai understood her perfectly, leaving her not having to try to figure out a way to explain a statement or idea. Through him she was learning how to relax, accepting companionship and friendship among peers closer to her age. She didn't try to break her back getting the grown ups attention about the murder case. Working with a group, something she never had done before, was helping broaden her horizons. Even Dojima-san allowed her to aid him as he continued to study the murder case. Restoring her access to information about the murders. _

"_Rrrgh... you're always like that! I can't imagine becoming a woman only to have a man protect me!" It was a sign of weakness after all, a woman who needed a man couldn't get as close to information as she needed. She'd be considered ,too, 'fragile' ,too, 'soft' to face murder scenes or dangerous locations. "And yet... you always..."_

_She couldn't stop shaking, Senpai was important to all of them! If not for them she would never had made it this far. The cops had no access to the Other World and assumed her absence that of a child hiding after being chastised. She would have died without him and the others! Besides, he said he liked her as a girl. The leader that everyone in the group looked up to preferred her inferior gender assignment? If she were a boy she would be so much more useful to the group, she'd be stronger able to endure more pain. "Why?!"_

_He smiled, been smiling since she started yelling at him, that peaceful serene smile he often had. "Because I love you."_

_She had felt like he had sucker punched her. The world seemed to stop moving as she tried to process the improbable. Her? Someone in love with her? The Detective Prince who dressed as a boy to hide her female body? The person who couldn't look at her self in a full length mirror because of all the signs of her weakness? Not only loved, but loved by the very Leader she looked up to? _

Her struggles had finally yanked the nail that kept her bound to the wall. It gave way to half an inch before slamming into an electrical trap set into the wall. Before she had a chance to realize what was happening, enough electricity to match the Ziodyne spell slammed into her. It ripped it's way up the prong collar around her throat and throttled her senses sending her screaming. Her body felt as though it was on fire, as instinct overrode training and she pulled even harder against the source of the pain.

The prongs tightened around her throat, cutting off her desperate need of air. Sharp was the agony of the current being ran though her body overwhelming her. The nail finally was jerked free as the world began to fade into black around Naoto, only the sharp vivid sparks dancing on her chain pierced it before fading out.

Beyond her, the door opened slowly while a person, dressed from head to toe in black stepped into the room. Burn marks were starting to form around her throat, the slightest trails of blood trickling down, dampening her shirt collar. The stranger, the kidnapper held a camera and after stalking around the young, what he thought was a, man for a bit he began taking a few pictures.


	6. Chapter 6

A Fortune's Fool

Written By: Lady Lunar Phoenix

Beta:

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It was a thick book all things considered, it was a book that started long before it should have. No children came to play with her, no invitations ever came with her in mind. She spent her days lost in books that were meant for older teens and adults. A child with no parents and only one old man and a butler to look after her. How was she supposed to know how to interact with other kids when she spent all her time around old men? So how could she be blamed for trying to get into a profession years before she should have?

All her year books, all the things that told of her life, told of a boy's life not a girls. From the way she dressed, to the way she acted there was nothing to indicate that he had a granddaughter. He had offered to send her to school in America, his American friends had lauded the girl's intelligence and welcomed the chance to have such a girl there. But Naoto always wanted to stay home, wanted acceptance in Japanese society as a detective.

Even if America or Europe showed far less bias on her for her gender when it came to her desire to be a detective.

"_One day you have to bring home the young man who caused you to willingly put this on."_

It wasn't far beyond her normal clothes, still boy clothes in fact, but she didn't bind up her breasts, and her coat was gone. A tomboy, she looked like a tomboy, and in doing so it allowed more of her softer traits to be made manifest. She was in transit, stopping at the estate before returning to Inaba. She had said it was easier to just change clothes here, because she had things to do when she got back there.

But he didn't become a detective without learning signs, and even in his own grandchild he could see them. His words earned a hot blush on her cheeks and her stumbling to try to explain. Why she would openly dress this way while not 'saying' she had a boyfriend? She had been nervous and he probably made it worse by insisting on a picture before she left. It was amazing how she could look so innocent in that picture, young love really. He wanted to meet the young man who could make his granddaughter blush with that youthful joy.

His eyes went to that framed picture back down to the book of Naoto's own exploits. The list of men from street thugs to CEO's, Naoto had a rather remarkable career in development. Articles about the 'boy detective' or the as more modern term for her 'Detective Prince'. He knew of the one who had escaped, worried that the man might be the one. But not all the people in the book were still behind bars, good behavior could get you places in a situation where overcrowding was an issue.

He turned the page as he looked from face to face wondering who out of all these tough harden men would go after Naoto. It was the fear of how she could end up that made him wish she didn't want to be a Detective. Why couldn't she settle for marrying one, instead of being one herself? But it was a fool's thought and he knew that, for being a detective is what made her happy. He wanted her to be happy, even if it meant her being in a field that could have the consequences that she now had to face. But that didn't stop him from feeling so very old and tired. The weight of his kimono's fine silks felt like anchors to his shoulders.

The meeting with Police Detective Dojima had gone as expected, reassurance that everything was being done to find his granddaughter. That her clearly disoriented behavior that made her oblivious to her impending kidnapping was not her fault, nor a pre-planned move of the kidnapper. Rather it had been an act brought on by her friends attempting to create a particular atmosphere for some idea.

"Shirogane-sama?" Yakushiji opened the door and slid in quietly while standing at near attention. "Seta, Souji has arrived." With that this butler opened the door allowing a tall, young man to enter the room. He was odd in that his hair was a vivid gray silver color, something that was incredibly rare, unless it was dyed. He had surprisingly gentle eyes as well, at least his face bore a gentle look. But at the moment he was serious, it was in the way he carried himself, it communicated in the way he visually checked everything before putting it on ignore, but the man behind the desk. Yakushiji was not stupid, just letting this person into office though, was strange. "Sir, allow me to introduce you to Seta-san, Naoto-sama's lover."

And with that it fit. So this was the young man who made his granddaughter's face flush with young love. He didn't get up to greet the young man, after all Naoto had no father or mother any longer. It was up to him to look over and review all those who sought his granddaughter's heart and make sure they were of the proper quality. But also, he wanted an explanation as to why his granddaughter was drunk the night before her kidnapping.

Yakushiji had backed out of the room discreetly allowing the pair to have privacy, while neither adults invited the young man to sit down. Not yet at least. The young man had an aura that was almost palpable about him. Souji didn't dress like he was coming before a man who had stood before government officials or any heads of state. His clothes were that of a collage student, though he didn't seem to bother following regulations regarding keeping the shirt tucked or the jacket closed. His dress sense made the elder man wonder what his granddaughter saw in this boy.

"I am to assume you are here regarding my granddaughter." It wasn't a question, Seta had better been here regarding that.

"Then shall I assume that book before you is the one that holds the list of potential kidnappers?" Seta replied his voice cold. This wasn't the way to meet your lover's guardian anyone with a brain knew that. But Souji wasn't exactly happy about prearranged marriage dates set on his girlfriend either.

"Do you even have a clue in your head who you are addressing?" Shirogane-san asked his tone dipping into icy tones. Souji merely approached the desk and began leaning against it in a threatening manner.

"The man who tried to sell 'my' girlfriend off without either of our consents? The man who drove her to agreeing to a stunt that ultimately left her without her wits about her and helped some bastard kidnapper her." Souji replied refusing to back down.

It missed it's mark, but the young man was brave to talk in such a way towards him. Seta didn't care about repercussions or any form of punishment, the elder could see that his granddaughter was all that mattered to this young man. Perhaps there 'was' more to this man, something that Naoto had found herself. He picked up the book and held it out to the young man, watching as Seta eased off his assertive posture to look at the images. "For the record, I did not initiate the sessions, somehow someone took a picture of her from somewhere and began it themselves." He raised his hands as though to ward off questions. "I realize that is inappropriate and I have fended off several would be suitors from her. Out of respect for my granddaughter's feelings, I have repeatedly turned them down. But in this day and age not everyone comes to the guardian, some have apparently gone directly to her."

The young man stood there holding the book in his hands and looking distantly down at it. As though recalling things from the past, which he may very well have been doing. "She told me, she was afraid, back at the club. She wanted me to not lose interest, was afraid that someone would take her away from me."

"Long distance relationships are difficult I know. She would not wish to burden you with such information, that is simply her way of being. But perhaps now I understand what Dojima-san meant when he was talking about her friends." They were trying to help, but they didn't understand the danger of being a detective... No, that wasn't right, no one ever dreamed she would be kidnapped. 'Oh Naoto, you were afraid and I didn't even notice. Just another one of your emotional needs that I obliviously ignored.'

"So what now?" Souji had flipped open the book and was going through the pages. He noticed how each person was listed with status information, apparently the old man had been in the process of getting updated information on the criminals. "How many of them would just kidnap her for a ransom versus how many people would want revenge?"

"It comes down to her gender, a ransom might be possible. However; she has put very powerful men behind bars, as well as dangerous criminals. Her gender may impress them into wanting only a ransom, while at the same time may turn them against her more violently. Right now the profiles only list about an 1/8 of them possessing the capacity to become a serious threat."

"Then I need to get started don't I?" Souji asked looking at the book, a lone book that expressed a young life spent solving crimes. All the while the bitter reality of the situation and hope warred within his heart.

"Entertain an old man's curiosity." The elder spoke thoughtfully as he watched Souji looking over the book. "But what help do you think, that you can offer myself and the police?"

If the bad guy getting away was the vexation of law enforcement, then having his Persona was a vexation for Souji. All that power, and nothing could be used to find Naoto faster. No matter how much Naoto tried to re-enforce her masculine identity, underneath it all was still a girl looking for a place in the world. "When we started dating, there was a compromise that we made. I would accept that she wishes to be a Detective, despite all the dangers that could involve her life in. I would never argue, nor would I try to tell her she had to stop no matter the danger. But in exchange she had to accept that I am just one man, and that the way I think is a part of who I am. So when someone messes with her, it's the same as messing with me. And I am not one to be messed with." he stated his tone hard, with the emotions he tried to suppress, as he flipped to another page.

"You miss her." It wasn't a casual observation, the Elder Shirogane was still curious about this young man. So hearing a passionate answer like that was comforting in it's own way.

"Heh, yeah. I miss her the moment we let go, the moment the train pulls out and I see her disappear into the distance. But right now, I am angry as hell, frustrated and scared to death in all honesty." He closed his eyes letting his head sink into one hand as the memories of a nightmare came back. "I'll be honest with you. I'm scared, something is gnawing at me from the back of my mind telling me that I don't have much time. It eats away at me, and all I can think of is the worst case scenarios. Say what you want, but I love her more then my own life and nothing is making me more angry or scared then the fact that I can't do anything."

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The Gazebo was quiet, there was no one around save a lone blond sitting there in a uniform. Yosuke could only look at her for a moment, he knew who it was after all. Chie was still down in the dumps, and it showed in the way she moved and acted. He sighed and looked down at what he was carrying, he wasn't like Souji, he couldn't cook food as well as their leader. But still, even if it was bought, food was food and so long as he could cheer her up?

"Hey, I brought you something."

He watched as Chie started and looked over at him, curiosity in her eyes before she lowered it to the bag in his hand. Holding it out to her, he settled into back on his heels waiting for a vocal reply of acknowledgment from the cop in training. She looked nice in that uniform, a skirt that reached her knees, though he knew she wore something under it so she could use her legs for a fight. But he missed her green outfit, she looked better in green and gold then these sickly hues.

She took the bag from him and opened it, a sniff alerting that she picked up on the scent of food quickly. "Aha! Is this steak?" She asked as she pulled out the cheap plastic tray with the less then cheap steak resting inside. The package was warm and she quickly set about getting it out and ready to eat. "Thanks Yosuke, what's the occasion?"

"Occasion? Well you've been looking down since Naoto disappeared and well I just..." He drifted off when he noticed she was staring at him with this surprised look on her face. For a moment he didn't catch on to why she had such a surprised and thoughtful look on her face. Then he thought about what he was saying. "What? Oh just eat the thing before it gets cold!"

"Okay, okay! Sheesh I'm eating!" she was just about to tuck herself into the meal before she gave him a quiet 'thank you'.

He sat down watching her eat, enjoying just this time together with a friend when after a bit she broke the silence between them. "I was thinking just now, how things might have gone differently if we didn't come up with that idea." He looked at her, not understanding where she was going with this or even exactly where she was coming from. "We were having a girls night out, and rented a few movies. It wasn't easy, Yukiko likes romance, me with my Kung-Fu and Naoto with her Detective stuff. But we found a couple that were mixes and matches so we settled in with a few bowls of popcorn and got to watching."

It was the first time he heard what happened that gave birth to the idea of the kidnapping ploy. All he had ever been told was that idea itself, not where it was born from. She was reminiscing, probably not even aware that he was still there or listening. But he could see she needed to get this off her chest and he didn't mind listening to her.

"When it got late we talked, which isn't easy to do when it's two quiet people and me. But I got this great idea about helping fan Naoto's romance from watching the detective movie. It was going to be great! Naoto was being pestered by guys lately and it would have been a great way to help her confirm her relationship with Souji. One of the movies even had a kidnapping theme similar to that! Only it was a woman detective from America looking for her kidnapped lover. I thought that sounded like a great idea and suggested it to Naoto." Chie smiled a bit at the memory her eyes lost to the past. "She didn't agree to it at first, she actually called me a few nights later and asked if I thought it was really possible to pull off."

"I see so the whole 'pretend that Naoto's been kidnapped by a would be rival suitor' came about from a late night marathon of action and romance flicks." Yosuke leaned back a smile on his lips at the thought of that. It was amusing and rather endearing in it's own way. Here rested proof that guys alone did stupid things for love!

"Yep, at the height of inane thoughts we were going to tie her up to the headboard of a bed at the top of the Eiffel Tower in France! Fill the place full of Shadows so she could watch as the love of her life fought to save her!" Chie announced with a skewer in her hand raised like a sword of truth, her eyes gleaming from the memory.

"Then Naoto smacked you upside the head, called you an imbecile and you guys moved on right?" Yosuke asked crossing his arms over his chest and staring at Chie in amusement.

"Yeah, but she had been hugging that pillow to her chest the whole time so it needed to be used for something." Chie agreed with a warm smile on her lips. Then the smile faded and the present came back putting a cloud back over her head.

"It was a good idea Chie," he offered reaching out and putting his hand on her back, rubbing it gently in circles. "Just next time let's send Naoto off to a school of seduction and let her learn the fine art of seducing men. Souji would love that more I think."

"Compared to this? Heck yeah." She nodded through her tears trying to smile for him.

"The station must be up in arms though," he tried to move from the pained subject of how it began. "Losing the Detective Princess like this must have them upset."

"They don't know, Dojima-san never told them Naoto's gender, they still think she's a boy." Chie pointed out as she wiped the tears away.

"What?! How can they not know? The school knows, and a few of the cops have got to have kids there!" Yosuke's eyes were wide in surprise. Which had been true, even after that whole stunt to find out who the school goddess was. There was not a single red blooded Japanese boy or girl in Yasogami High who didn't know Naoto's gender.

"I don't think they talk about it, or believe it. I don't really know to be honest. I think the kids don't tell their parents because it's so weird for a girl to dress and act so much like a boy. Oh and I know of one officer who thought their son was just jealous of Naoto and said she was a girl as a way to save face." Chie offered up her tone thoughtful as she looked up before returning to her steak.


	7. Chapter 7

A Fortune's Fool

Written By: Lady Lunar Phoenix

A/N: After this chapter I will be deleting this fic from the megami tensei section and only posting on the persona section of the site. If you story alerted this fic please be advised to readjust the alert to the Persona section. Thank you

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Light was dancing a slow waltz with darkness as the sun moved slowly across the sky. It cast it's rays through the window and along the ground, slowly moving it's dance partner along. While at the same time hiding a small boy sitting on the floor in the center of one room. The light seemed to like his hair, helping bring out a soft glow of his false natural blond. The white shirt with it's ruffles soaked in the warmth, keeping him warm while the black pants covered legs were tucked up so he could rest his head against it.

Teddie knew what he was.

A Shadow, nothing more then the darkness dancing on the floor around the room with a mind of his own. He'd been there all day, since it was his 'day off', since after all he didn't have anything else better to do. So he'd been here, sitting beside where they found Naoto's blood in her apartment, trying to focus more on the scent of the guy who had grabbed her. But in the end what good was that? What was the purpose of figuring out how the person felt at the time of the kidnapping?

Regardless, Teddie spent hours, sniffing in hopes of finding some hint about who kidnapped her. When finally a question worked it's way into his mind, a question about Shadows and Persona's. A Shadow was a person's Persona that went out of control. Which meant that there was possibly a Shadow somewhere in the world that came from this guy who ran off with Nao-chan. Could they somehow find that Shadow? Make it tell them where Naoto was? But if they could do that, did that mean that Teddie was the same way? That somewhere out 'there' was a person who's emotions gave rise to him?

It was a thought that left him sitting helpless on the floor, scared to move and scared to stay while surrounded by shadows that never had to worry. Did he come from someone else who was still here? If they met, would Teddie have to stop being Teddie and become a Persona? After all, Teddie hadn't aged or changed since his arrival on 'this' side. Even though everyone else finished growing and stuff, he was still the same kid he was when he first arrived.

"_Given that a Shadow is a manifestation of a person's true self, including an unrestrained emotional state... It would stand to reason that you may in fact only age as you grow emotionally. That being said, there is nothing wrong with being young at heart all your life."_

Naoto had speculated on that aspect when the group realized he wasn't growing up. Back then it had been fine, he didn't feel a need to 'grow up' or change. He was happy being surrounded by his wonderful friends, playing with Nana-chan and eating Topcicles! Only now, he felt small and useless, not even the Other World could help him.

He pulled out his cellphone and flipped it open before seeking out a phone number. Dialing it he waited listening to the ringing before the click.

"Hello? Teddie is that you?" Rise asked her voice concerned.

"Yes, hey... Rise-chan can I ask you something?" He could hear the soft sound of a radio playing in the background that was suddenly cut off.

"Yeah," Her voice was soft, a concerned voice that was curious but willing to answer.

"How do you find people through Kazeon?" He asked, perhaps she could see something he couldn't smell?

"I see paths of butterflies." She answered easily. "Teddie are you guys having trouble?"

"Yeah, I can smell the person who was in here, but that doesn't help me find out what they looked like. We're really trying but... It's already been a day since Nao-chan disappeared and..." He shrugged before asking. "Butterflies?"

"Yeah, I see butterflies. When Kazeon puts her head piece around my head I visually see butterflies. The paths we took were always outlined in various colors, I guess they were supposed to be symbolic of the emotions of the person we were looking for. Or perhaps it's one of those Aura things you occasionally hear about from those mystic types. But I don't see walls or floors, just the outlines of them, and a flurry of butterflies about a person. Like with Naoto-kun I saw vibrant red butterflies about her Shadow. But once she accepted her Shadow it turned into vibrant blue butterflies that merged into Sukuna-Hikona. After that I see only her Persona, but the path that I would follow to find her, is a thin path of butterflies. Where as with Nanako-chan I only see butterflies because she's too young to have a Persona."

"Oh..." Teddie looked down as he swallowed painfully. It wasn't something he could be taught after all. "My nose just isn't any good."

"Teddie don't be so hard on yourself. I'll be able to make a stop over in Inaba two days from now. We can go into the other world and see if we can find Senpai's new location! That way we can visit him more quickly and have more access to other locations." She offered, a direction that Teddie could take and find comfort in.

"Yeah! We can do that!" Teddie finally got up from his spot before walking towards the door.

"Hey Teddie, I have to go I need to be on the set in a few, so you take care, and I promise I'll be there as soon as I can." She spoke before their farewells. He shut the cellphone before he opened the door to the apartment planning on leaving it.

"Oh! You're ba... oh.. Forgive me I thought you were Shirogane-san." A elderly woman her arms loaded with bags stopped, looking at Teddie in surprise. Her hair was graying, her clothes the simple style of a housewife on errands. Still...

"You know Nao-chan?" He asked looking at her hopefully.

"Not well, I live further down the way. But I saw a man carrying him to his car before, the man said that Shirogane-kun had fallen and hurt himself. So he was going to take the boy to the hospital." She explained patiently, her eyes expressing some of her worry over the young 'boy'.

"Ahh! I see... Um did he seem strange to you?" Teddie asked, suddenly hopeful that he would get some information to help the gang.

"Well, he had... Oh what was that term? He had two colored eyes, one brown, and one green."

"!! Really? Thanks! I've got to go tell my friends! Thank you so much!" He hugged to woman in his happiness and ran down the path towards the front of the apartment grabbing his cellphone.

"Teddie? What's up?" the background sounds of Junes could be heard along with Yosuke's voice.

"I found out something. The guy that Sensei said 'had green eyes' might not have. There was someone here who saw a man carry Nao-chan away! And they said that the guy had a green eye and a brown eye."

"What?! Wait so which would be his real-" Yosuke sounded like he was pondering something to himself before he spoke up. "I get it, contacts! He wore green contacts, which would explain Naoto-kun's comments! I'll call Souji and Chie, she can tell Dojima-san. Good work Ted!" Yosuke replied pleased with Teddie's accomplishment. Sides Teddie sounded beside himself with joy that he had information to give.

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An oak desk was pressed up against a wall under a window. Neat stacks of papers rested on the two furthers corners, a series of books rested between the pair, their topics unimportant at the moment. Along the sides of the desk were the occasional pen or pencil, a pair of binoculars and a skeleton key. At the upper center part of the desk rested a single picture of a girl. Short like a typical girl in truth, anyone else wouldn't have batted an eyelash beyond the fact that she was pretty. Black slacks, and a white button on shirt, simple barely heeled shoes on her feet. But the hair was cropped so short, it was nice and stylish, but perhaps a bit longer?

Below it was the picture of a the same girl, this time dressed to the nines as a boy, a bit too warmly for the season perhaps. But it was necessary to hide the true gender of the person in that image. Dark blue coat, white shirt the collar down so that a collar meant for dogs could be clearly shown around her throat. Ropes wrapped around her mid section pinning her arms to her side, while her legs were curled up to her chest as though she had been in pain. Amazing in it's own way that it was the same person.

Shirogane, Naoto.

When he had first heard of the 'Detective Prince: Shirogane, Naoto' he had been impressed. Hard not to be considering her track record, one that must have started when she was very young. A part of him saw the 'Prince' as a rival, someone to possibly beat to attain his own standings among the field of law enforcement. Even though he was behind in cases, he felt that if he could just find 'the' case. That one perfect case that he could break before Shirogane-san then he would be able to surpass the Prince. But what type of case would be necessary to bring forth such a victory over the Detective Prince?

Then one day he learned of a way to beat 'him' presented in the lovely picture on the desk. Perhaps it was the fact that she hid her gender so well that was a mark of her skills. But as a girl there was more possibilities, attaining the name and position through marriage. Besides a girl could never be a detective, it was a man's job. But she would make a good assistant, and she was nice on the eyes. The revelation that the Detective Prince was a Princess made things so much more easier.

_There were whispers on the subtle channels that there was a girl in the detectives field that was available for marriage dates. When he received the first invitation to look at this girl all that was said was that it was a good girl that needed some proper grooming. He replied that he was interested and was still waiting for a reply when his father took on a case._

_He sat in front of his computer, logging onto the Internet so that he could look up some information on the fraud case that his father was working on. When he noticed the email icon flashing in the lower right hand corner of his computer. _

"_Thank you for your prompt reply to my personal invitation. There has been a number of you who have taken interest in this girl. As such I am sending the first picture of her with this letter. She graduated at the top of her class, and has some domestic skills, enough to keep you satisfied. I'm sure you'll enjoy the picture and reply when you need her address. She's strong minded and willfully independent, but she isn't a match for the right man."_

_The picture downloaded had been of a lower quality, undoubtedly from a cellphone camera. The picture was from the front, she was apparently meeting up with someone. Her face was lit up with happiness, her hands clasped in front of her in a very modest lady like posture. Which excused the formal male clothes she was wearing, the picture capturing her while she held the cap in her hands. _

He had accepted that as a challenge and in the subsequent correspondences discovered the identity of this lovely tomboy girl. He wished he had the chance to have met her before and in person. But now he would have a chance to not only meet her, but in rescuing her he would be able to prove his skill and worthiness to have her as a bride.

But first he had to find her, and prove to the higher ups that he was serious. Which meant watching the video that the kidnapper was so 'kind' to send as well. Granted breaking into Naoto's mailbox was illegal, but he had a hunch that scored him the picture and a video. He slipped the disc into the drive and listened to the quiet whirl. His video viewing program kicking on as he took another look at the envelop. One that lacked any stamp or markings to say it even came 'through' the post office. Which meant that where ever she was, she wasn't so far that they couldn't just drop the letter off personally.

The video began playing revealing a stationary camera focused on the girl. Naoto was out cold, chained to a wall by the throat with that pronged choke collar around her neck. She hung there unmoving with a small pair of stains under her head, undoubtedly her own blood. Thick ropes were wrapped around her torso insuring that she couldn't use her arms or hands. He watched for a few minutes before hitting fast forward. Since the kidnappers felt the need to video tape her whole imprisonment.

Finally she began to get up, which made him stop the fast forward and rewind it just before there was movement. Watching as she slowly dragged her legs under her as she steadied herself before resting against the wall. The chain wasn't long enough, it left her hanging when she laid down and those prongs had to be painful. She stayed on her knees for a while before getting up on her own only to play tug of war with the wall. She would pull for a certain amount of time then stop her body moving as though she was breathing heavily.

The pattern repeated for a time, Naoto devoting her whole effort to pulling the nail out of the wall that was holding her. He could only admire her tenacity in the act despite the shear pain and pressure it would have been putting against her throat. The carpet looked faded, the way it looked when it was untouched for a long period of time. The dust that clung to Naoto's dark clothes revealed a carpet of more red then pink. The camera looked to be stationary, but more so she must have not been able to see it or else she wouldn't be so obvious in her escape attempts.

He watched the video, hoping for some sign of where she was, a better clue. But the range of the camera wasn't all that wide, leaving only the small area where she was. As she worked she began to slowly take steps back further from the wall. So she was making headway in her attempt to escape her imprisonment, when suddenly something snapped out of place. His eyes widened in shock as something about the size of a brick yanked out of the wall part way. But that wasn't what began to distress him.

Rather it was the sight of Naoto clearly screaming and thrashing about in pain. She pulled back on instinct as electrical charges strong enough to be visible on the camera sparked from the brick thing in the wall. It danced its way towards her and wrapped it's it's vivid blue white hands around her throat. Calm, measured movements were lost in a desperate thrashing to be free of what would be excruciating pain. One last pull, the box coming free from the wall landed with a clatter as Naoto herself fell to the ground.

He needed to find her. She may have been stubborn about her gender, hiding it as she did. But not even a man could take this abuse if it escalated beyond this level. Which meant trying to figure out the type of trap used, since these people clearly took their time and put in some serious effort to hide such a dangerous item into the wall. But how would they have found a device that was small, could be hidden and give off so much electrical charge all at once?

"This Shirogane-san is why women shouldn't be detectives. Sometimes the cases come back after you." He sighed as he started the disc from the beginning in case he missed something.


	8. Chapter 8

Fortune's Fool

Written By: Lady Lunar Phoenix

Beta: None

A/N: Just as a warning after this chapter, when I update this fic again it will only be in the Persona section. I'll be removing it from the Megami section.

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There was a tension in the air at the police station, it followed him everywhere he went, from his office to the lunch room to the smoking area. Everyone was talking about Naoto, several officers discussing the case at a desk. His nephew's team did a job on her, helped her relax, accept help, Naoto had grown from her time with Souji and his friends. All the while hiding her gender from the rest of the police force. By relaxing her, getting her to open up a bit more the officers had accepted her causing her kidnapping to upset everyone. Kidnapping a member of a group always had a ripple effect.

Always.

There were a few men older then Dojima who had children her age, and he could hear the officers worrying over 'him'. Naoto didn't have much time left, she couldn't hide her gender for long and it left Dojima wondering how the other officers would react when they found out that the detective they were worrying over was a girl. Kidnapping, all the possibly scenarios being what they were she would be drained, not just physically, but emotionally and mentally as well. He could only hope that the boys in the station would behave when she returned. If she returned at all.

He poured himself a cup of something from the Black Lagoon before returning to his office. Even as he listened to each conversation the irony was not lost on him. How many times had he walked by these desks, listening to people going on about the murderer, never realizing that the killer had been amongst them? Yet for all the guns, the laws, the badges, the man power, a couple of kids led by his nephew would find the perp?

When he pushed open the door to his office, the first thing he noticed was the flashing light on his phone. He had a message waiting for him, which could have been anything from a call from Nanako, someone in the upper brass with questions about one of the cases he was working on, or maybe...

"Hey, Dojima-san? Teddie just called and said that the person we've been thinking about? Yeah they were wearing color contacts. Green and brown eye colors, there was apparently someone at the apartment where Naoto-kun lives that saw him."

And maybe 'all' of Souji's friends needed a few classes on police procedure, would make his job easier. Then again they probably just left it to Naoto to do the 'leg work'. He would have to get Chie to get Yosuke's phone number, then try to track down Teddie to get information on this supposed 'person' who actually got a look at the perp...

This was going to be a long day.

There was a vibration at his side, causing him to grab his cellphone and examine the number. Normally a call from his big sister would have him just let it go to voice mail, then again Souji 'was' involved.

"Hey sis," he pressed the phone to his ear as he stood in his office.

"Ryotoro, have you seen Souji? He said he was going somewhere and I haven't seen him since," Souji's mother asked.

"He's around," he really didn't want to have to explain this to her. "His girlfriend got kidnapped and he's trying to help find her."

"Oh! Oh poor Naoto-kun."

"You met her then?" he asked, having never been told how the 'meet the parents' day went.

"Ahh yes, interesting girl," just the tone of voice when she said 'interesting' told Dojima how it went.

'You went dressed as a man to meet Souji's parents.... Oh man Naoto...'

"I don't think she expected us home that day, but that aside, has there been any breaks in the case?"

"Leaving to find out if there is one actually," Dojima replied, he was already grabbing a his coat.

"I'll let you go do your job, but if you run into Souji, tell him we love him and we're praying for him and Naoto-kun," she ended the call with that. Leaving Dojima free to walk back out of his office and look for a certain cop-in-training.

"Satonaka-san!"

He saw the cap first as the girl bounded to her feet and rushed over to him, eyes ever hopeful. "Naoto-kun?"

"Perhaps, I need you to call either Hanamura or Teddie, Teddie may have got us a lead," he commented as he walked to the door, Chie on his heels her cellphone in hand.

"Really! Oh I know Teddie's number I'll just call him," she noted as she went about calling that rather odd young man. "Hey Teddie? Here Dojima-san wants to talk to you."

The phone was handed over to him, while he pulled out the keys so he could drive to the apartment where Naoto lived. "Teddie, Hanamura said you had heard something about the perp who kidnapped Naoto. I need to know exactly what you heard."

"Ahh... Oh, hi, Dojima-san, uh, yeah! Ok, there was this cougar, I think she was coming home from shopping. She said she ran into a guy who was 'helping' Nao-chan to his car, the guy told the lady that Nao-chan fell down. So she didn't think much on it, but she said that he had a brown and green eye. Weird huh?"

... Somehow Dojima was pretty sure that half of the things Teddie said was through only understanding things on the surface. 'Cougar'? "I'm going to go back to Naoto's apartment, I want you to keep your eyes and ears open," he informed the odd, but enthusiastic, teen.

Dojima never could figure out where Teddie came from, the boy had no accent to his voice, profiling him was next to impossible. Natural blond, eyes that were neutral in shape, nothing came up to tell him where the boy came from. Even though Nanako adored Teddie, there was the fact that he opted to that nickname, that boys didn't want to keep as they grew up. Or the most disturbing of all, he hadn't aged since the day Dojima first met him. Always youthful, always young, Nanako had grown up some and it showed when she was with Teddie. But his body carried none of the years themselves, which only increased Dojima's curiosity. Only no one was willing to talk, even Chie just grew silent in explaining where Teddie came from.

"Chie, why would Teddie be at Naoto's place? What would make him think he would uncover something that the police haven't found on their own yet?"

"I honestly don't know," and it was the truth. Teddie had already done everything in his power, so there was no logical reason for him to be there. But if Teddie found something she was all for finding out as much as she could! Even though she was only a policewoman in training and not a police detective. "I know that Souji is over at the Shirogane Estate and trying to figure out who nabbed Naoto-kun."

"I don't know what to tell Nanako, if Souji opts to crash at the house he's bound to not be in a pleasant mood," Dojima admitted. They had ridden in silence after her comment until he felt the need to speak again, this time about his daughter. He turned the corner and continued driving.

"Oh that's right, does Nanako-chan even know that Naoto-kun has been kidnapped... But she's a smart girl, I think if you just tell her she'll know the score. She's a cop's daughter after all, so you shouldn't have to worry about her."

"Chie, I know that we're probably working with a person who has a connection to Naoto from her younger days. But I need to know if there's more to it then that. Has Naoto been under any pressure or stress that you know of? Any particular reason why she would do something so vastly out of character for herself, such as that kidnap plot?"

"I don't know. I think I've told you everything, the only thing that would stick out were the guys. Strangers that I never saw in Inaba before talking to Naoto-kun. But they were too far for me to get a good look at them, and after she would speak with them she would be upset. I don't understand why though," that had been the most puzzling of all. "But it doesn't make much of a difference, because in the end Naoto-kun would still have been taken. She was probably smaller then her kidnapper, sober and awake or not, Teddie said the guy was hiding in her closet for who knows how long. Though I wonder why he would have waited for so long before he would have come out and grabbed Naoto-kun."

Chie had a point there, while not one to figure out the answers she was slowly developing the questions necessary to point in the right direction. Why 'had' the kidnapper waited until Naoto was awake before he opted to grab her? Did he fall asleep himself and only wake up that late in the day? Or was it deemed as less alarming if Naoto was taken during the day? If no one knew about the reason for Naoto's departure, or... "Chie? How did you get Naoto to the party in Port Island? Did you guys pick her up straight from her apartment?"

"Yes, the three of us picked her up after she got changed from the graduation clothes, then we left. But Naoto-kun locked the door to her apartment," Chie answered. Then suddenly something crossed her mind. "But wait, her apartment was probably locked up after the police went through their initial check. So how did that guy get in there?"

"What guy?" Dojima asked as they sat at a red light.

"The guy who was trying to take Naoto-kun's guns, he just walked right out of her apartment like he had a key to it!" Chie's tone was growing angry again, but Dojima heard something else completely.

"Someone got 'into' Naoto's apartment? Without breaking the door down and was taking things?" Dojima demanded, a question that wasn't a question. Why hadn't he been told?

"Yeah that same prick who was going on about how Naoto-kun's line of work is dangerous and how a girl isn't supposed to do stuff like that. I swear it's like they're stalking her or something!"Chie was angry again when she cast a glance at Dojima. "Something wrong Dojima-san?"

"Why didn't you tell me Chie? This is an ongoing investigation, you're still in training, but that's no excuse for not telling me these things," he replied, his tone disappointed.

"Well ah, it's because me and Yukiko discussed it before the kidnapping... Oh wait that doesn't sound right huh?" Chie looked down for a moment gathering her thoughts before she began. "I met the guy before, he was one of those 'girls can't be detectives' types I'd see Naoto-kun have to deal with. But to be honest, when he spoke, he made a lot of sense."

"Sense how?"

"He's right about Naoto-kun being alone, Souji can only help, but he's not a detective as well. He doesn't know everything that goes with the responsibilities and skills that Naoto-kun does. If Naoto-kun presents the clues he can help, but he can't just start off whole cloth. When I look at a situation like this, he makes a lot of sense. Because in the end, ordinary people can't understand what drives a person to kidnap someone else," her tone was pensive, sadness and confusion evident in her tone and posture. "We know how much they love each other, so back then we rallied behind Naoto-kun's choice of being with Souji. But..."

"But right now, it feels as though a detective would be more helpful then a collage student," Dojima replied with a quiet nod.

They pulled up to the apartment building where Naoto lived, driving into the same parking lot that had a small swarm of cop cars filling it before. While planning on trying to find the woman who had seen the kidnapper. Grasping at straws? Maybe. But straws were all they had, the kidnapper had been good. Anything they found would only be found after sending away for testing. But if they could find this woman, perhaps they could find out more about who took Naoto away. They knew how she had been kidnapped, they just needed a clue as to where she had gone.

"So the lady must live on Naoto's floor, so we just go knocking on doors right?" Chie suggested.

Dojima climbed out of his car while Chie climbed out from her side,"yeah, come on kid."


End file.
